S. Brent Morris, 33°, G.C., Director
of Membership Development
Supreme Council, 33°, Southern Jurisdiction, USA
1733 Sixteenth St., NW, Washington, DC 20009-3103
Despite continuing membership losses, changes
that are made today can lead to a more stable Fraternity tomorrow.
The winds and the
waves are on the side of the ablest navigator.
- Edward Gibbon
Membership in American Blue Lodges peaked in 1959, at about
4,103,000, followed by over 40 years of decline to about 1,800,000
in 2002. The Scottish Rite (Northern and Southern Jurisdictions
combined) has had 21 years of falling numbers since cresting
in 1979 at 661,000. These numbers are a source of objective
curiosity-Why did this happen?-and subjective dismay-What will
happen to us! Knowing where we are and where we might go will
help us plan for the future.
The average member in the Southern Juris-diction is 66.3 years
old; 25% are under age 57, and 25% are over age 77. If our members
had joined at a steady rate over the years (with no disruptions
from military or economic crises), then there are now fewer
than expected for ages 56 to 71, and more than expected over
age 71. Our 71+ year-old members are the strength and support
of our Fraternity, the Brothers who grew the Scottish Rite to
where it is today.
The average age of our 4,883 initiates in 2001 was 48.9, with
25% below age 38 and 25% above age 59. A good planner realizes
at this point that there is almost a full generation between
our initiates and our membership. This means thoughtful efforts
need to be made to include plenty of new members in planning
events for Valleys, or we run the risk of creating a "generation
gap" between our new members and Valley activities. This
is sound advice in general: include a good sample of your members
when planning any event-new and veteran, near and far, young
and old, and so on.
The basic relationship of American Masonic Bodies changed in
July 2000 when the Shrine dropped the requirement that its members
belong to either the Scottish or York Rites. During the five-year
period 1995-1999, the Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction (S.J.)
suffered an average net annual loss of 3.5%, the Northern Masonic
Jurisdiction (N.M.J.) 3.2%, and the Shrine 3.6%. In 2001 the
S.J. lost 5.4%, the N.M.J. 5.0%, and the Shrine 3.3%. The bottom
line: all Masonic Bodies continue to lose membership. There
is no quick fix.
John Belton has a simple formula to approximate Masonic membership
("Masonic Membership Myths Debunked," Heredom,
vol. 9 (2001), pp. 9-31):
This Year = Last Year
+ Initiation + Reaffiliation - Attrition - Deaths
In his formula, Attrition includes either a Demit or Suspension
for Nonpayment of Dues (SNPD), and Reaffiliation includes Reinstatement.
In the five-year period, 1995-1999, prior to the Shrine change,
S.J. Attrition was 3.32 per 100 members or 3.32%, Initiation
was 2.19%, Reaffiliation was 0.88%, and Death was 3.02%. If
we continue at this rate, the S.J. will lose more than 40% of
its present membership by 2011.
Small changes, however, can have a dramatic effect on long-term
trends. We can't do much about death rates, but we can work
aggressively on initiation, attrition, and affiliation. If we
increase our initiation rate to 3.6 per 100 (not quite doubling
the '95-'99 rate), increase reaffiliations to 1%, and decrease
attrition to 1.5%, then our losses in 2011 are only 15%, and
our membership will slowly stabilize at 75% of today's levels.
Given our large number of veteran members, loss is inevitable-but
it does not need to be fatal.
A plan to achieve a smaller-but more effective-organization
needs to focus on three essential points.
